بِلْقِيس
Bilqis: meaning of the name
Girl Other origin Bilqīs
Figure of IslamThe name tradition gives to the Queen of Sheba; origin unknown
Bilqis in Islam
The Queen of Sabaʾ, whom tradition names Bilqis, has an important place in Surah 27: the hoopoe describes her to Sulayman (27:23), she consults her counsellors before any decision (27:32) and then, discovering the truth, declares: “I submit, with Sulayman, to Allah, Lord of the worlds” (27:44). Her name does not appear in the Quran.
Meaning of the name Bilqis
Bilqis, also pronounced Balqis, is the name Muslim tradition gives to the Queen of Sabaʾ (Sheba), a kingdom of ancient Yemen. It is not an Arabic word, and its origin remains unknown: scholars have looked for a South Arabian or Hebrew root, without certainty; Arabic dictionaries give it only as the queen’s name. Borne in Turkey (Belkıs), Iran and South Asia, the name evokes the wisdom of the queen of the Quranic story.
- In Arabic
- بِلْقِيس بلقيس
- Transliteration
- Bilqīs
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Other
Is Bilqis in the Quran?
No: the name Bilqis does not appear in the Quran. A name can be beautiful and permissible without coming from the Quran.
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Bilqis in particular: the general rules of Islam apply.
Read the rules for choosing a name
This page is an aid to reflection, not a fatwa. For a personal case, ask a person of knowledge.
Writing Bilqis in each language
- French
- Bilqis, Balkis, Bilkis, Belkis
- English
- Bilqis, Bilquis, Balqis
- Spanish
- Bilqis, Balqis
- Turkish
- Belkıs, Belkis
- Arabic
- بِلْقِيس
Similar names
See also
- Sulaymanسُلَيْمَان Name of the prophet-king Sulayman (Solomon); from the Hebrew Shelomo, linked to “peace”
- Asiyaآسِيَة Name of Pharaoh’s believing wife; in Arabic, asiya means a pillar, a solid structure
- Maryamمَرْيَم Name of the mother of ʿĪsā (Jesus); “the woman devoted to worship” according to the commentators